According to a new joint study about relationships, most people are open about living together and having sex before marriage. (We could have told them that.) But, we were wowed by this nugget: Both men and women say that, above anyone else, their mothers are still the biggest influence over who they marry.

Personally, I don't find this at all surprising. Probably because I could never see myself marrying a guy who didn't have my mom's approval.

Here's the thing: I'm an only child and I'm super close with my mom. She's been my confidant and my sounding board for all situations on my life, romantic and otherwise. And, I hate to admit it, but she was dead right about how wrong for me my ex-boyfriend was. (Unfortunately for yours truly, it took me four years to see what the heck she was talking about.)

So, I learned the hard way to take my mom's advice when it comes to dating. And, when I started seeing my current guy, I tripled-checked to make sure she approved. (Luckily for me—and him—she totally does.)

But, just because my mom's opinion matters to me, that doesn't mean it's the case for everyone. What about you guys—does a guy need your mom's approval to win you over?